


Unhinged; Uncharted

by LightningClawedSky



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's
Genre: Alternate Universe, Blood and Violence, Canon - Anime Dub, Dark Signer!Yusei, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/M, Hatred, I still use the dub names sue me, M/M, Multi, Physical Abuse, Unhealthy Relationships, implied sexual past for kalin and yusei, there is a lot of heavy shit here man, unedited
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-09
Updated: 2019-09-09
Packaged: 2020-10-13 05:27:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20577209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LightningClawedSky/pseuds/LightningClawedSky
Summary: Yusei Fudo, prideful, mindful, and ever so quiet, never speaking unless spoken to, has changed severely since he died. A deep anger boils under his skin, which was notorious for Dark Signers, but as Kalin would say, it left him unsatisfied. Though, as Jack pays Satellite a visit, unable to accept the truth, the anger boils over and Jack soon learns there are consequences to being on the wrong side of a war.(Dark Signer!Yusei)





	Unhinged; Uncharted

**Author's Note:**

> THIS IS THE LONGEST THING IVE EVER WRITTEN AND IM GODDAMN PROUD!
> 
> Sort of a part 2 to Eat Your Heart out, I guess?? More of my DS!Yusei AU, but you don't need to read that first to enjoy this one, just know that Yusei got his heart literally ripped out of his body in the last fic!
> 
> I always love some good treason and scoopshipping nyeheh (if anyone says this is kingcrab I'll break your kneecaps)
> 
> I've also never written Jack so I hope?? I did a good job???
> 
> Unedited as always

_ When did the world become so cold? _

Yusei breathed a sigh silently through his nose as he stared out across the sea with empty, black eyes. He could see the flickering lights of the city reflect into the water that was just as black as his gaze. Eyes looked up, towards the smoggy, cloudy skies of Satellite, few stars peered through before he lowered his gaze towards the city once more.

Yusei closed his eyes, letting the cold wind brush against his tan skin, causing a shiver under it's whisper. His eyes opened into narrow slits, looking down. Slowly, he placed a leather gloves hand on his chest, a shaky breath escaping his lips while emotions swirled around inside of his stomach. Yusei had already healed, but he knew that there was a cavity in his body.

Perhaps the wind's chill matched the ice in his veins.

Yusei felt…  _ hollow… _

What did he even have left in this new life? (Or did it count as his  _ after _ life?) He couldn't see his friends any longer, he had a new home beneath the B.A.D Area, hell, he wouldn't be able to run from Security in the same way he had prior. His life, it was gone, so what  _ did _ he have?

"What are you thinking about,  _ Star Child?" _ A voice asked, coming from the cloaked, shadowy figure emerging from the darkness. 

Yusei had felt the presence for a while, although he did not comment on it. It seemed to have been a signal for what he  _ did _ have.

He had Kalin.

And Kalin had him.

Maybe that was all Yusei wanted.

Maybe it  _ was _ a bit selfish of him.

"You're never far, Kalin." Yusei commented at the arrival of the other; pausing briefly to think about his answer to the question posed. "I was just... _ thinking _ \-- about being a Dark Signer." He quickly added the last part, knowing that if he kept it  _ too _ vague Kalin would get annoyed with him. Yusei didn't like the hint of  _ anger _ in Kalin's gaze when he was unhappy, it made him feel as if he had failed, even if  _ what _ exactly he failed was never objectively present, the feelings would still linger and it would make him feel nauseous.

"Have you been communicating with your God?" Kalin asked, his voice hushed. He grinned, brushing messy silvery blue hair out of his manic tinted eyes, adding, "Ccapac Apu never shuts up."

Yusei merely shook his head in silence. 

"A shame, really." Kalin frowned with a sigh. "I suppose it's to be expected; you still have that  _ pesky _ red mark on your arm."

It was true. Yusei looked at his arm, pulling down the glove and up the sleeve, a part of him needing to look at his arm for confirmation that the tail of the Crimson Dragon was still burned into his flesh. Of course, it was. If he closed his eyes and concentrated, he'd be able to feel the lull towards the other Signers. Luna, asleep soundly, Akiza, still in her coma, Jack, wide awake and restless, and whoever the last Signer was, they were watching and watching  _ closely _ at that. 

However, much like the lull of the Crimson Dragon, the power of the Heron gripped Yusei by the collar of his jacket and dragged him into the darkness. 

The unfortunate part was that he didn't care.

Yusei was about to concentrate on the marks of the other Dark Signers, but was interrupted out of his thoughts by a morose statement from Kalin.

"Maybe it would be better if we just chopped the whole thing off."

Yusei couldn't hide the sudden, silent horror in his face. He turned slightly away from the other, placing his hand gently on his arm, as if he was protecting it. Yusei had just lost his heart, would his limbs be the  _ next _ price to pay for his devotion?

"Relax," Kalin sneered, poking the smaller male on the forehead and pushing gently. "It was a  _ joke _ . I'm the handless demon afterall; what's a few missing arms to someone like me? I'm just going out on a  _ limb _ here!  _ HA!" _

Kalin gave a grin and let out a cackle at his joke, but it quickly dispersed into a frown at the displeased look on Yusei's face. Couldn't he at  _ least _ have the decency to pity laugh? How  _ insufferably _ unsatisfying. "Wasn't that funny?"

"A little, I suppose."

"Then  _ laugh _ , dammit!"

Yusei looked up, forcing a chuckle out from deep within his throat. Who was he to deny Kalin, especially of amusement? It was the closest he'd probably ever get to seeing  _ happiness _ on his face like this, as a Dark Signer, beyond the moment where Yusei had died. If Kalin wanted him to laugh, he would. If Kalin wanted him to cry, he'd do it without question. If Kalin wanted him to kneel before him and  _ beg _ , Yusei would ask  _ 'what next?' _

Call him  _ Star Child, _ call him  _ worthless _ , he didn't particularly care as long as he was with Kalin. 

Perhaps it was twisted, and maybe it was selfish, but in death, what other purpose  _ did _ he have?

Kalin let out a grunt, displeased, before his face contorted once again into that signature smirk of his. He  _ relished _ in Yusei's devotion-- the younger male seemed to follow and obey his every whim. Kalin always thought, how far could he push him until he breaks? Did he need to snap Yusei's neck for him go cry out in retaliation? He thought about how Yusei reacted to the mere  _ implication _ of losing a limb-- was that  _ too _ far? Kalin frowned. As lively as it would be to tear him apart in such a way, limbs didn't grow back, and besides, he  _ needed _ them for dueling. 

Well, at least  _ one _ anyways.

_ Though _ , Kalin preferred the feeling of nails from  _ both _ hands raking along the pale skin of his back.

_ Tsk, tsk; _ he'd just have to find another way to break the other. Kalin ruffled Yusei's hair, the smirk returning back to his lips. Sure, killing him had been  _ great _ , but this outcome was just  _ so much better! _

_ "Aww,  _ Star Child," Kalin cooed. "I'm sure Qullyur Waqar will speak to you soon, just be sure to listen! Ccapac Apu tells me that Waqar isn't as laid back as they are, but what's a little disrespect now and then?  _ I should know!" _ Kalin giggled, showing too many sharp teeth in his smile.

Yusei nodded his head silently, not bringing himself to make more eye contact with Kalin's wolfish gaze. He looked back down on his arm; he could feel it stirring, but couldn't tell what it was trying to tell him. The Heron shrieked as the Crimson Dragon roared, both noises so loud that they inevitably cancelled each other out. Yusei wanted to claw himself open to get it to stop. Maybe if he did that, Kalin would scoop him up and tell him that it will be okay.

Or maybe he'd tell him that Yusei deserved such an unexplainable pain for what he did to him.

"Oh, but hey!" Kalin's voice interrupted Yusei's thoughts once again, ocean blue iris' raising ever so slightly up at the sudden excitement in his lover's voice (if Kalin could even be called  _ that _ at this point.) 

"Even if Qullyur Waqar never speaks to you, think about how great it is that you're saving so many people!" Kalin giggled more, before it erupted into a boisterous, crazed laughter as he swung his arms out, gesturing to all of Satellite. Dramatic? Maybe, but it was a  _ statement _ . He was always one for being loud.

Yusei smiled softly. "Yeah."

"You're doing great, Star Child!  _ Great!" _ Kalin leaned back into Yusei, hands on his face and thumbs rubbing the red marker on the younger male's face. Their foreheads bumped together, Kalin still giggling-- did he ever stop giggling? It almost seemed  _ impossible _ for him, except when he frowned. Yusei preferred the ceaseless laughter to the furrowed brows of dissatisfaction.

His lips crashed into Yusei's in a harsh kiss, biting and sucking enough to leave Yusei's lips swollen, despite not being interlocked for very long. Yusei, of course, returned the kiss, gentler of course, Yusei was always gentle, so  _ impossibly _ gentle-- even to Kalin in this state,  _ especially _ to Kalin in this state, no matter how  _ hungry _ the other seemed to be for Yusei's lips and very  _ soul _ . If only his kisses could save the Dark Signer of the Giant.

Kalin's thumb brushed Yusei's bottom lip as he pulled away with a snicker, pressing their foreheads together once again. 

"I gotta go; Roman wanted to see me for some reason-- probably about  _ you _ or some shit, but it's not like I care." Kalin pressed a possessive kiss against Yusei's forehead. 

"I'll be back. Don't die for a second time while I'm gone-- torturing you is  _ my _ job."

* * *

Jack paced his room, one wall to the other, glaring out the window across to Satellite at every chance he could. Closing his eyes, he could still see Yusei thrashing and fighting for his life as Kalin pushed the metal shrapnel further and further into his flesh, every movement slowly becoming weaker and weaker until there was none left at all.

Yusei was dead.

Jack paused in front of the large window, eyes narrowed and face contorted into a snarl as he slammed his fist against the glass. A sharp thud was the only thing that broke the silence through Jack's haughty rage.

So why did Jack still _ feel _ him there?

It was faded, barely there and protected by darkness, but Jack could still feel Yusei through the red marks that stained them all, pulsing silently and burning passionately. 

_ Why? _

Why could he  _ still _ feel the soul of his deceased friend?

Pulling up and away from the cool glass, he turned heel towards the door, snatching up his long coat along the way. A blue video screen popped up, a tired face of a woman in her twenties on the screen.

"Jack, do you know what time it is?"

"Of course I know Mina-- I'm the one who was awake, wasn't I? Call a helicopter. We're going to Satellite."

* * *

Yusei still stood at the bridge, gazing back to New Domino. He hasn't moved since Kalin left. Eyes glanced beside him; he still had his runner. It was a little beaten up from his duel, but it was rideable after a few repairs. 

Slowly, Yusei walked up to the machine, a hand gently running along its frame, now a shade of black instead of its eye catching red. 

The Dark Signers had been so insistent on changing the color, perhaps it may have been because the red could have signified the Crimson Dragon, their very ancient, yet very real, enemy.

Yusei didn't need to hear the helicopter to know Jack was coming to Satellite, although it certainly helped when he heard the blades whirring above him. 

Yusei didn't look up. 

He continued to gaze across to the city, thoughts swirling around in his mind, and emotions jumbling themselves up in a hurricane inside of him. If it was Jack, and he knew it was, what would he say? What  _ could _ you say? Yusei felt a twinge of anger, but pushed it down, silently blaming the God he has not spoken with.

The engine was killed.

Jack would be there soon.

From the air, Jack had seen the runner before he had seen his old friend (although, could he  _ really _ call Yusei a friend after how he treated him?) Sure, the paint may have been different, but there was only one custom built duel runner belonging to the duelist even better than even himself-- and that duelist was Yusei.

Or rather, what he  _ thought _ was Yusei.

Admittedly, he wasn't entirely sure. He had seen the zoomed in images in Goodwin's office, but the older man had been vague. It was a surprise to no one, with how mysterious he was, skirting around the truth. 

_ "There's a ghost in Satellite." _ He had said, but said no more. Jack grit his teeth in frustration then, and it what was he was doing now. Jack had stopped listening to the older man, but Goodwin had said something else important.  _ "It seems to be taking the lives of the innocent as a means to save them." _

Jack would soon wish that he had listened to Goodwin's words fully, rather than letting his own feelings get in the way.

_ Goodwin, the sleazy bastard, he didn't want to tell me Yusei was okay! _

Jack stopped, the crunch of gravel ceasing under his feet. He had told Mina to stay in the helicopter, he could deal with this  _ himself _ . He didn't want anyone to get hurt (Carly would have wanted to come along, but he had let her sleep. He didn't want to admit he'd enjoy her company, but he didn't want her to be in danger.)

Fear swam around in his organs, but he squished it down and carried on, fists balled at his side's until he saw the other, back turned to the Signer as he stared across the ocean. 

Was he a statue, or like the ghost Goodwin had described?

Jack opened his mouth, ready to call out but Yusei had spoken before a single word could fall from between his lips.

"Hey, Jack." Yusei's voice was cold.

A pause. Jack could feel his beating heart in his ears. Keep squishing the fear down, it's just Yusei, that was what he was telling himself, but why did he feel a sense of dread? Why was he afraid of his old friend?

When Yusei turned around, Jack could almost feel his heart stop like Yusei's had when he died.

Black and blue eyes bore into Jack's, unyielding and intense. Jack found himself taking a step back, a small portion of his brain acknowledging the fear inside of him.

"..Yusei…"

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" Yusei narrowed his eyes. He was never one to sound angry, but his tone was particularly peeved. _ "Jack." _

"What the hell happened to you!? I thought you  _ died!" _

"I did."

_ Yusei...he couldn't...but he _ was.

Yusei was a Dark Signer and Jack  _ couldn't _ bring himself to believe it.

This was the same person who bested him in the Fortune Cup, the same person who wanted a better life for everyone but not himself, the same person who trusted and felt every emotion with his whole heart, no matter how guarded he may be. Strong, independent, a saviour to all of Satellite in ways Jack could  _ never _ be. 

Yusei had existed in ways that made Jack  _ envious _ , but now, Jack found himself  _ glad _ he felt no jealousy in that moment. Jack found himself afraid and utterly alone.

_ Where  _ was his rival?

He wasn't there.

"Yusei what  _ happened _ to you?" Jack felt himself repeating the question through clenched teeth and clenched fists.

"What does it  _ look  _ like, Jack?" Yusei hung his head, glaring at Jack through slitted black eyes, unable to hide the snarl in his voice. "I  _ died _ and I became a Dark Signer. You saw what happened;  _ don’t _ act like you’re more of a fool than you already are.”

“The only fool here is  _ you _ , Yusei.” Jack retorted, taking a couple of steps forward, as if he could get closer to yusei in a means beyond physical, to remind him why he was fighting in the first place. 

His harsh, violet gaze peered at Yusei, analyzing and picking apart every twist and turn of Yusei’s demeanor.  _ Yusei looks different _ , is what Jack determines, although he didn’t need to look at the change of clothes for that. Yusei looked frazzled, to say the least. His hair was messy, and with the way his head leaned down and forwards ever so  _ slightly _ , meeting Jack’s glare with one of his own, it reminded Jack of a stray dog that had been kicked one too many times-- eyes flashed with a warning.  _ ‘Don’t get too close, I bite.’ _

Jack had to suppose, that was what Yusei had been all along: a stay dog who was at his wit’s end and was ready to lash out at the slightest of movements.

“You’ve become unhinged,” Jack said.

“I’m uncharted,” Yusei corrected.  _ “Don’t _ test me.”

“I thought you were better than this.”

“And I thought you were better than to put your friend who looked up to you in danger, better than to steal my runner and my card, but _ I guess not.” _

Jack frowned, his jaw tightening and his eyelid visibly twitching at the comment. What choice did he  _ have _ at the time? He wanted to make it big, to be  _ somebody _ instead of the  _ nobody _ he was from Satellite-- he  _ deserved _ more than that, and to top it off, he was the  _ best  _ duelist! He deserved  _ better! _ Jack  _ knew  _ about being greedy, to want something so bad that you’d do  _ anything  _ for it, even things he'd end up regretting in due time.

Jack couldn’t help but wonder if those feelings of greed were coursing through Yusei’s veins. 

"Yusei,  _ please," _ the plead slipped through Jack's stoic voice unintentionally, but it wasn't as if he cared. Maybe, maybe if Yusei heard it, heard his desperation of being on the losing did of a war he had no choice in fighting, hearing how much he  _ needed _ the other to fight by his side, he'd come back.

"Akiza is still in her coma." Jack stated, as if somehow that would ease the situation on the better side, maybe convince Yusei to help, maybe convince him to come back to the Signers. They needed the Shooting Star of Satellite more than Jack would like to admit, but he had to bite his pride and admit it regardless.

"And?"

“If we weren’t in this  _ standstill  _ of a predicament, I’m sure you would’ve gone to help her by now. You always do the right thing."

"I  _ am _ doing the right thing-- for Kalin. Why don't you try doing the right thing for once yourself? You seem to like messing up the lives of all those around you for your own selfish needs,  _ so why can't I?" _

The war was already lost.

It was just a matter of time.

"What happened to the man I  _ respected?" _ Jack hissed, frustrated that Yusei would not and absolutely refused to budge. "I don't understand you, can't believe you! You're acting so childish! Kalin's back, but he's in the wrong side and he's dragging you down with him into the depths of hell, and what are you going to do about it?  _ Go with him?!" _

_ "Yes." _

Something  _ finally _ clicked in Jack's mind, clawing out from the dense walls of his perception. Without words, he finally, finally understood. He didn't understand everything, but the realization was enough to make his voice catch in his throat.

"You want to  _ save _ him. You want to save Kalin before you can save your home."

Yusei didn't say anything, but the way his eyes tore themselves off of Jack, expression softening as he looked over his shoulder, it gave it all away without anything spoken. 

The shock soon was washed away, like writing along the soft sands of a beach during high tide. Unfortunately, Satellite never had the luxury of sandy shores, rocks, concrete, and asphalt jutted out and lined the edges of the island, as well as lining most of the hearts of the people who lived there.

Jack was no exception to it.

Yusei probably wasn't either.

_ "I can't believe you." _ Jack hissed, repeating those words as if it would make a difference, violet eyes narrowing once again in the direction of his former friend. 

"Out of all the times your selfless ass decides to be selfish, you start now."

"Start?  ** _Start!?_ ** I was never given the  _ chance _ to begin! I always kept giving myself up to you and the others, I was always there when no one else was. I never expected anything in return-- and trust me Jack, I  _ still _ don't-- but I was never given the chance to just  _ want _ for once in my life, except for when we met Kalin! He was the only thing I wanted and I'm the  _ goddamn _ reason he  _ died!  _ After he died, _ who did I have?  _

Crow, for a short time, but he wanted to  _ fly!  _ He had Pearson and Bolger. I had you, I suppose, till you backstabbed me and left me to  _ rot! _ And even now, you have Carly, hell, even Trudge and Mina are on your side! But what about  _ me? _ Tell me Jack,  _ who the fuck did I have!?" _

"Nervin, Tank, Blitz and Rally." Jack stated flatly, as if he thought the truth was beyond obvious. He out of all people should know the truth remained cloudy at best, and caked with mud at worst 

"You, out of all people should know, they didn't  _ know  _ me like Kalin did, or like how Crow and even yourself did. After Kalin died, I had  _ no one! _ Nervin, Tank, Blitz and Rally are my friends, yes I wouldn't say  _ anything  _ otherwise, but they didn't  _ know _ me, because after Kalin died I kept every single one of my feelings right  _ here _ ." Yusei put his hand across his chest, gently at first, but as he felt every repressed emotion slip through the cracks of what was once his heart, his fingers tightened around the black cloth, yanking it down and revealing the angry looking mark and divet on his chest. A growl, one that was  _ not  _ human in the  _ slightest _ , escaped his throat. 

"But now I don't even have  _ that _ solitude, so it's  _ all _ coming out!"

Yusei stood his ground.

Jack did not.

He took a step back in surprise at the wound, almost stumbling atop of the loose gravel, eyes wide and locked on what had once been a gaping hole to Yusei’s carved out heart. Like Kalin had said, in his sickly sweet honey voice, the would  _ will  _ close up-- and it most  _ certainly  _ had-- but he never made it apparent how the skin would twist and contort itself back together in a grostique wad of (almost) human scar tissue, dipping into his chest, as if to only make it  _ more _ apparent that Yusei lacked the organ.

Forcing himself to recover from the shock of the situation, Jack walked until he stood directly in front of Yusei, barely over an arm's length away from the raven haired male. He looked down as the other glowered upwards.

"You're pathetic," said Jack.

"It doesn't matter," replied Yusei.

"You're not going to save anyone like this."

Those had been the wrong choice of words to leave Jack's mouth, but he was  _ never _ one to think before speaking, only to speak what he felt needed to be said, no matter how rude or blunt it may have been. Yusei's expression shifted, from silent and uncaring, to genuinely  _ angry _ . The way the light bounced off of his narrowed, glassy eyes made it look like he had tiny pools of deep blue fire in the darkness of his gaze, ready to burn down all of Satellite and New Domino, and maybe, perhaps, even himself.

"Don't tell me what I can and cannot do."

"Is that a threat?"

"Maybe." 

The corner of Yusei's mouth twitched, resisting something of a smirk or a smile, or maybe he was resisting the urge to bare his teeth at the blond. A threat, why wouldn't it be a threat? 

_ Don't question me. _

_ Don't question me. _

_ You'll see, you'll see. _

"I'm going to save everyone in Satellite from this hellish world Jack! If no one's here, no one can suffer in the era of darkness! I'll save Kalin! And maybe, just maybe if you watch me, gave me some time, I could save you too!"

"The fuck are you going on about…?" Jack asked, his voice fading out as he connected the broken pieces .  _ "You're the ghost." _

"The ghost?" 

"The ghost of Satellite," Jack lowered his voice as he connected more and more dots together. This was  _ why _ Goodwin didn't want him going back to Satellite, this was what he warned of. Friends and foes could become Dark Signers. Kalin was first, and now Yusei was no exception. Who would be next? Crow? Maybe even himself? (Jack shuddered at the thought.)

"The Ghost of Satellite," Yusei found himself repeating the words, bemused, as if they were a title more than the dirty truth.

It fit Yusei, more than Jack wanted to acknowledge or give Goodwin credit for. (Goodwin always had a knack for naming things, it seemed.) 

Yusei had stood before hundreds of New Domino citizens, maybe even thousands of you included the people watching the Fortune Cup at home, and stood as something he was proud of, that Jack has tried his best to scrub his hands from. Yusei was a Satellite, and he was proud of it, and no amount of booing or name calling from the crowd could change that.

But now? What was he now? A lap dog to a cause he didn't entirely care about, say for a single person? Where had the pride gone, the gnashing teeth for what was right? The constant selflessness to give and give? Maybe Yusei didn't have anything left to give. Maybe Yusei had finally reached his breaking point, like so many Satellites do as they grow up and lose hope.

"Look at yourself, Yusei! Who are you going to save when you can't even save  _ yourself!" _

Anger flashed in Yusei's eyes once again, stronger than before. He could feel it in his veins, how foreign and unnatural the animosity inside of him felt. However, the feelings paled in comparison to how the emotion  _ looked _ across his face. Dark, aberrant, and entirely unlike the Shooting Star of Satellite that everyone knew and loved. 

Jack saw the change too, but those words were already said and tossed into the grave, unable to be dug up, cradled along the tongue and shoved back inside of his throat until he choked.

_ "Watch your tongue." _

Now  _ that _ , that was a  _ threat _ .

"You chose his side  _ then _ , and you chose it  _ now." _ This time, Jack is the one who lets the snarl out. He doesn't know what he's saying, a part of him thinks, but he does know that it's years of pent up frustration clashing against Yusei's own pain, and Yusei understood l what he meant.

Hands reach forwards to grab the shirt of the Heron Dark Signer, living the smaller man up so they could properly make eye contact. Yusei still scowled, seething with annoyance under his skin. 

"This is just like when the Enforcers first split up! You had the option to come with Crow and I, to leave it  _ all _ behind, but you  _ didn't!" _

"I wanted to  _ save _ him, _ to help him!" _

"But you  _ didn't _ , and you  _ couldn't _ . Jack hissed back, stretching out every word and syllable. History repeated itself again, but now it seemed that no matter how far Kalin ran into the flames of hell, Yusei would follow and get burned to a fine, charbroiled crisp. "Not everyone can be saved, and  _ certainly _ not someone like Kalin."

** _"SHUT UP!"_ **

Yusei's outraged screech crackled through Satellite, bouncing off of walls and shattering the looming silence like it was nothing more than fragile glass. it was such a stark contrast to what everyone knew of the Satellite-- Yusei never raised his voice, never got mad (except maybe in a duel, even then, it was nowhere this unnatural, indigent fury) but then again, who could really say that this was even Yusei?

Quickly, with a speed that seemed far from human, Yusei's leather gloved hand swatted Jack away, freeing himself from the grasp that was being held on his shirt. Yusei snarled, another hand reaching out and pulling Jack backwards and forwards by nothing but his hair, earning a sharp cry in both surprise and pain as he tumbled forwards, being dragged along into the shadows of the nearest building.

Yusei pulled Jack back once again, earning another pained yelled, although he isn't listening. Yusei has no interest in the noises of pain, unlike Kalin who relished every scream and tear of anguish.

Yusei thinks he understands Kalin's pain. The anger, the frustration, the small twinge wanting  _ revenge _ \-- being a Dark Signer must bring out the worst in people from the emotions that were already there, that's what he thinks. Maybe he's right, but right now he doesn't care. Everything is happening too fast, his emotions are all over the place, spreading through his insides and twisting through his cracks like a bolt of lightning.

He brings Jack forwards, bashing the skull of his rival into the brick wall.

Back.

Forwards 

Jack has black spots dancing across his vision and he's yelling at Yusei, to listen and to stop, trying to glare through unfocused eyes. Although, between the dots and the blood in his eyes from the wound on his head and face.

He can't see.

Yusei grips Jack's head as hard as he can, jamming it into the wall with all the force he can muster up. His nails dig through into Jack's pale flesh, a near desperate attempt to keep the King pressed against the building. Yusei panted heavily through fanged teeth, eyes flashing with that dangerous glare. 

He can't feel.

The silence was deafening.

"I had binds that were broken in ways that you could  _ never _ understand. Bonds that could never be broken, because the other person fucking  _ died." _ Yusei seethed coldly, baring his teeth, trying to press Jack further into the brickwork. "But you wouldn't understand that, would you? You wouldn't know because you break all your bonds by your  _ damn. Self." _

Jack had stopped fighting against Yusei's inhumane strength, allowing himself to be pressed and dragged along the stone, to have it cut into his skin and make it bleed. Both of them were so stubborn, and neither side was giving in. Though, his nails scraped in frustration against the concrete.

Jack listened to every word Yusei spat out with a venomous sting, trying to look up at his friend, but all he could view in the peripherals of his vision was the blood that dripped into his eyes, and the stark black runner parked nearby. If he listened, if he  _ cared _ , he might understand, but he  _ couldn't. _

How _ pitiful, _ Jack thought.  _ Even your runner seems to have lost hope. _

Destiny was messy and Jack was starting to think that fighting against such a thing may have been useless. Just look at what it did to Yusei, after all-- he's always been one to go against destiny at every turn in the circuit, and look where it got him--  _ dead. _

"Does it feel good?"

_ "What?" _

"Does he  _ fuck you _ like he did when he was alive?" Dizzy, head against concrete, defeated, blood dripping down his forehead-- Jack's thoughts and words were anything but coherent, but he knew he was angry. Angry at Yusei for choosing this path and accepting it as fate, angry at Goodwin for getting them in this mess to begin with, and most importantly, Jack was angry at himself. 

Was this how Yusei felt?

Trying to save a person that was unsaveable?

Unsalvageable?

What was left of the people they used to be?

The kids, the teens, on top of the world together at every turn? Never give up, never give up and look forwards! That's what they always told themselves, but then they grew up. They grew up and became angry.

And every ounce of this frustration and anger of past and present was taken out on Yusei, forming words on Jack's tongue that fell out like rotting teeth, which in no way would make the situation any better. (But how much  _ worse _ could it even get at this point?)

"Does it make you feel alive? Even though you have no pulse?" Jack asked, quietly. "Would you get on your knees for him, take every beating for him? Does he laugh and find it funny? I'm sure he does. You always give yourself up until you're sucked dry and there's nothing left of your soul, but at this point, can I say you even have a soul?"

Yusei silently pulled Jack's head back, before bashing it into the wall once again, as if that would get the blond to shut up, to stop spouting the things he didn't  _ want _ to acknowledge.

_ Shut up, shut up for once in your damn life! _

But Jack was loud, even if his voice was but a whisper on the wind in Satellite.

"Does it feel good?" He repeated, closing his eyes. "To become your undead boyfriend's little plaything, nothing more than a puppet on a string? Stop trying to be the hero of the story when you're on the side of the villains, Yusei, you're just Kalin's  _ little bitch." _

"You don't know Kalin," Yusei said with a hiss. He didn't want to admit that yes, it did feel good. To take all this pain out on someone else other than himself felt great! Maybe if Kalin were here and watching, he'd smile and  _ laugh _ , giving his approval on the pain Yusei was putting Jack through, both physically  _ and _ emotionally.

Yusei would do anything for Kalin, especially if it meant he was happy. He could only imagine the excitement in his lover's eyes as he came back and said that he beat up the one and only Jack Atlas, and the other had barely put up a fight at that!

_ Of course you'd put him before yourself, _ Jack thought.

"And you don't know  _ anything _ about me." 

"Clearly. Especially since this is the oath you chose." Jack chuckled. "This blood is going to leave a stain on my jacket."

"Why do you care?" Yusei huffed. "That coat came from Goodwin, and as far as I'm concerned, you're _no_ _less_ of a puppet than I am."

"Unlike you, I still have my dignity and pride."

"I recall you feeling lost and defeated after I beat you in the Fortune Cup. Frankly, you don't know who you are without your fame, your fans, people recognizing you on the street and screaming your name. Tell me I'm  _ wrong." _

"You're…" Jack started, but said nothing further.

The silence spoke for itself.

"I'm going to save everyone here. Kalin, Crow, me and you. You can't stop me. This work is going to descend into the ultimate hell, and there will be nothing you can do about it. People will  _ die _ , people will be  _ sacrificed _ to the Immortals, and that is so, so upsetting, isn't it, Jack? But if I, oh if I could save people, out them out of their misery before the darkness consumes this world, wouldn't that be  _ nice?" _

Jack clenched his teeth, but said nothing.

The silence yelled.

“Now I’d love to play some more of twenty questions with you, Jack,” Yusei hissed, releasing his fingers from Jack’s scalp, leaving behind red, crescent shaped indents in the Signers’ skin; nails that dug through flesh even with a leather barrier. Jack stumbled to the ground. He wanted to throw up.

“But I really should be going; I'm sure Kalin's meeting with Roman has ended. He's waiting for me."

Jack tried to force himself up from his knees. His head hurt so much, and his vision was blurry with blood and tears. He must have had a concussion, it wouldn't surprise him-- he lost count of how many times he was rammed into the wall. Honestly it was a  _ miracle _ that his cranium wasn't fractured. "...Yusei…" Jack croaked, fingers gripping the dirt underneath him, as if it would provide some balance, or some clarity, or  _ something _ , anything. 

Jack forced himself to look up, seeing Yusei march back to his runner as if what happened was no big deal (to him, it really wasn't. Pain was a side effect of the situation, and really, Jack should have known better.)

In a swift motion, Yusei sat in his runner, his own long, navy coat floating down as it settled behind him. Putting on his helmet, he looked nothing more than a shadow.

Or perhaps, the ghost of who he used to be.

He gave another icy cold glare at Jack, a part of him proud of what he's done, and another part horrified, but the pain hushed the horror until it fell silent and he felt coldm

"See you later." A pause. "Jack."

He drove off, tires screeching down the crumbling streets, as Jack mustered up the last of his strength to yell after him, all his desperation, fear and anger spilling out in one last battle cry, even if deep down Jack knew the other wouldn't turn around.

_ "YUSEI!" _

* * *

Jack managed to drag himself back to the helicopter. (Thank god they didn't land very far.) He practically collapsed at Mina's feet, exhausted mentally, and strained physically. It felt as if the life and hope itself had been sucked out of his body.

Against Yusei, against him like this, he felt absolutely  _ powerless _ .

Jack didn't hear Mina scream, too involved with his own thoughts. 

He'd just gotten out of the hospital, he blinked slowly. Soon, he'd be right back in. Goodwin's going to be royally  _ pissed _ . Not only at Jack for getting severely hurt, but for him to go against orders of not coming back to Satellite until they could put a stop to the Dark Signers.

Jack wasn't worried about that.

Jack wasn't worried about Goodwin scolding him like he was still a child. Jack wasn't worried about how his health was doing, or how Mina was fretting over him as they flew back to the hospital. He'll, he was  _ barely _ worried about Yusei now (He was still worried, but could begrudgingly accept that Yusei had made his choice and was going to stick with it until he went down fighting into the Netherworld.)

Jack was worried about Carly.

Carly had tried to salvage his dignity and pride, that was why he even had any left after his loss. Carly had helped and given so much to him, despite having so little herself. (She was living out of her car for a while, wasn't she?) 

Jack's chest hurt, but he was glad it was for an entirely different reason than the pain Yusei (hopefully) grown accustomed to in his own chest. 

This was a mixture of fear and appreciation, (or maybe it was  _ love,) _ but Jack couldn't tell what it was beyond  _ worry _ for the girl. 

In a short time, she had given him hope, and he had grown attached to her (again, it was not something he'd be able to admit, ever.) 

He couldn't let her get more involved than she already was.

It was too dangerous.

What if she got hurt? What if she got sacrificed to one of the Immortals?

Or worse,

What if she was used against him in order to get him to join their ranks?

Suddenly Jack understood where Yusei was coming from. 

Jack leaned his head forwards in his helicopter seat, feeling weary about what he'd have to do. 

He couldn't let her know that another of his friends succumbed to the darkness, in case she eyed him with a pitied sadness (he didn't need that, that's what he told himself.) She'd tell him that it wasn't his fault, but he'd be insistent that it was. (Jack understood Yusei more than ever as he played the confrontation over and over in his head, like a video stuck on repeat.

He was never one to be good with words. Blunt, rude, he constantly couldn't get his meanings across to the other side, for everything that came out of his mouth sounded like an insult, but he couldn't risk Carly getting killed in a war that didn't involve her. He'd have to tell her to go, that he needed to do things she wouldn't understand (although Jack knows she'd understand, but he couldn't risk it.) 

A knight in shining armour had to do the right thing.

Jack just hoped he wouldn't regret his words.

* * *

_ "Ugh _ , what took you so long?" Kalin grumbled, rolling over onto his stomach as Yusei opened the door with a long squeak. (He should really fix it.) "I was starting to get so, so  _ bored!  _ I've been sitting here for like, an  _ hour _ already!"

"I'm sorry." Yusei apologized, bowing his head slightly. "Jack paid me a visit."

_ "Jack?" _ Kalin's eyes widened, black and gold sparking with excitement as he made his way to sit in his knees, a sharp toothed grin spreading across his face. "Did you  _ kill _ him?!"

"No." Yusei said, looking away from the growing displeasure and dissatisfaction (and perhaps a feral  _ rage) _ on Kalin's face. He hated seeing Kalin angry at him. He didn't feel like he did anything  _ wrong _ .

_ What did I do? _

Yusei was filled with dread

"Why?!" Kalin spat, practically leaping off the bed and marching his way to Yusei, shoulder squared and hands balled into fists of anger.  ** _"WHY!?"_ **

Kalin's sudden raise of tone caused Yusei to flinch and close his eyes as Kalin screamed at him. The power trip of earlier had completely washed away, leaving him feeling powerless and weak, and with Kalin, who knew all of his weak spots, he felt  _ vulnerable _ .

Yusei opened an eye slowly, hesitating slightly to make eye contact with Kalin's own burning gaze. "I bashed his head against a wall." He spoke, voice quiet like it always was when he was talking to Kalin. "Repeatedly," he added, with a small apologetic smile, as if it would make a difference.

_ "But you didn't kill him." _ Kalin growled, nose wrinkling up like a snarling animal. "You. Held.  _ Back." _

Yusei glanced away and back again, but his smile didn't falter. If he had a pulse, he would be able to hear it beating in his ears. "I thought hurting him would make you happy."

"What would make me happy,  _ Yusei _ , is Atlas being  _ more dead _ than the  _ casualties _ in Zero Reverse!" Kalin yelled, a hand slamming against the wall, causing Yusei to flinch again. He still smiled, even if the comment had stung.

"Is there anything I could do to make up for my failures?" Yusei asked, a pleading  _ beg _ to his voice. 

"Come here." Kalin commanded.

Yusei obeyed.

Without having time to think, Kalin grabbed the back of Yusei's head, hand clutching at his raven hair and slamming him forwards into the wall, with a feral and angry growl but there was a smirk on his lips.

"Never!"

_ Once. _

"Do!"

_ Twice _ .

"That!"

_ Thrice. _

"Again!"

Yusei still smiled. He could feel the blood running down his head, over his eyes and onto his lips. He could  _ taste _ it. He could hear Kalin laugh and  _ laugh; _ it was worth it.

Kalin pulled Yusei away from the wall and into his lips, giving him a kiss so  _ harsh _ that it felt like a  _ punishment _ , tasting and hungering for the blood that dribbled down his face. (Yusei always tasted so  _ sweet.) _

"If given the opportunity, you  _ strike _ , do I make myself  _ clear?" _

"I don't  _ want _ to kill anyone."

"Even for  _ me?" _

Yusei didn't say anything.

_ "Thought so, Star Child," _ Kalin cackled, tugging even harsher on Yusei's hair, enough for the younger male's smile to become forced. 

Did Yusei ever stop smiling? Kalin giggled, pulling the raven haired man against him. His hands let go of the locks of hair, finding themselves in the more comfortable spot of roaming freely under Yusei's shirt. The way the other leaned  _ into _ every touch was another reminder of how Yusei completely gave himself up to Kalin, no matter how badly he was treated, or what was said-- he'd be there for Kalin and  _ everything _ he wanted. 

He couldn't be there all those years ago, even if he tried harder, but he  _ could _ be there now, soft smiles and all. 

"I told you, Yusei…~" Kalin purred in the smaller males ear. "Don't think of it as  _ killing _ them, think of it as  _ saving _ them in the  _ most painful _ way possible outside of a Shadow Duel. Their spirits will live on, unharmed, in the next plane, even if their vessels have been deteriorated. Save them,  _ for me _ , okay?"

"Anything for you, Kalin."

"And if you see Jack again…" Kalin paused, hands stopping and a breath of anger catching in his throat. " _ Don't _ hesitate to save him, because I'm a  _ war _ you don't have  _ time _ for small talk."

"Yes, Kalin." Yusei whispered.

"I'll be satisfied when there's no pesky signers to ruin  _ our forever, _ my sweet, unhinged Star Child."


End file.
